Spear Park Makeover Complete!

Work at Spear Park on Main St was being completed Thursday morning when the fence barriers and yellow tape were removed, opening the park to visitors once again. One remaining chore was the pouring of concrete to repair one last ledge. The work began on this City park on August 25 and was reported here. Members of the community expressed opinions about the plan to cut down 6 trees in in the park with 36 comments made to the Middletown Eye. Calls of complaints about removing the trees where made to City Hall. Enough concern was raised that a meeting was called as reported here; Spear Park Trees Spared, where it was decided that heavy pruning would be a compromise solution in part of the overall plan 

COMPLETE

for the parks improvement. A few of the trees slated for removal are the ones in the photograph with the last of the bright fall colors remaining. Changes to the park include the removal of the community garden, replaced with grass, the removal of a concrete wall, and a change in height of a couple of other walls. The former community garden was planted and tended by only a handful each year, with much of the bounty picked by park goers before the gardeners arrived to do the picking. 

BEFORE (the whole back wall and stairs were removed)

BEFORE (the wall you see on the left was lowered)

DURING WORK

DURING WORK

COMPLETE

COMPLETE

I want to give a big shout out and THANKS to the EYE readers for participating in the discourse and doing the leg work that lead to saving these trees. (I left for a 2 week vacation 2 day after my original post, so could not follow-up on the out pour of concern.) The end result is a much improved visual landscape on Main St. and the only green-space that is open to the public in the central part of the  business district. I'm thankful to Ed and Steve and the rest of our contributors, for keeping the EYE alive and working to bring news and views to the communities attention. It is all worth it, when we can effect change that helps to make Middletown a great place to live and blog.